Train slams into Finnish military truck at crossing; 4 dead

A police officer walks alongside a train that was involved in a crash with a military truck in which several people were killed in southern Finland Thursday Oct. 26, 2017. Finnish media say several people have been killed in a train crash in the southern part of Finland. (Lehtikuva via AP)

The military truck, a Finnish-made Sisu SA-150 transport vehicle, was carrying eight soldiers, who were taking part in a drill in the southern part of the Nordic country, military spokesman Jorgen Engroos told the news conference.

Two trucks had left a nearby military facility in the morning and were headed for a military exercise area when the crash happened. It was unclear whether it was the first or second vehicle that was hit.

The train struck the vehicle at a crossing with no security features near Raseborg by a commuter train from Finland’s state-owned VR railway company.

Images from the scene showed a slightly damaged train and the wreck of what appears to be a military vehicle in the woods. The train was standing upright, but it wasn’t immediately clear if it had derailed.

Finnish broadcaster YLE said Niinisto, the defence minister, had ordered flags at all military facilities to fly at half-mast Thursday.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto expressed his condolences in a statement, calling it an “unfortunate tragedy,” saying the conscripts were taking part in “a task for the fatherland.”